happy birthday Grace!

The New Year's girl turns 11 in 2014.

~Happy New Year~

 


legos ~ for girls

After following the 75 page construction book (by herself), Isabel had a little Lego land complete with  flowers, kitties, swings and a sun deck.


wild

With Uncle Jeremy's wolf looking Meeko tied to her sled, Grace was in for a wild ride.


mouse hunt

A house full of Grandparents were on hand for "Mouse Hunt",  Isabel's winter recital piece.


sled dog

Always last, he'd wait until the all clear was given from below... "Clarke"!  At that he'd drop in blasting down the run faster than any sled could carry him.

 


3~2~1

Three snow days,  and over two feet of snow, make for one great backyard sledding run.

 


rebel yell

A sneak peek from the annual Granddaughters photo book. Should be available for gift giving by December 25th. ;-)

ps.  for anyone interested, I made the photo using these DIY strip lights.

 photo


happy birthday

Clarke turns 4 today.  He was pretty excited about the squeaky squirrel toy, and his new collar, but was feeling like a four-legged fire hazard in the girls decorations.

Happy Birthday Clarke!


duet duel

With a dozen other piano pairs, it was a duet dual this morning at the MMTA Ensemble Festival.


study groupie

Last night the study group reconvened.  Still productive, but with a furry follower.


colorless

Took lots of photos at last weeks gymnastic meet... can't seem to find many to share however.  I've noticed it before, but the lights in many gyms are some form of fluorescent. No problem other than the color of the light cycles with AC current. As a result,  photos taken a split second apart will have very different colors.
Here's an example. Two photos taken 1/10 sec apart._RAM1590-Edit-2

In the top photo of Grace and her teammates between exercises, I discovered the best, and simplest solution ~ colorless.

 


study group

An oddly productive bedtime study group.


stranded

After Isabel took Clarke to the mailbox in the daylight saving darkness, he went missing for a few minutes. Looked outside, called his name, offered a treat... no Clarke. Turns out he was stranded in the mud room, restrained by his leash like it was tied to an old oak tree.


spooky

Joined by another princess, and a Seussical single feathered Gertrude McFuzz, the girls braved some spooky sets for tricks & treats.

 


happy halloween

Isabel takes candy collection to the next level.


rocked out

Rocked out at the Blue Man Group show last night... Isabel partied on 7-up and popcorn, then passed out on the floor.  She's still sleeping, so hopefully she won't be hung over ;-)


dress rehearsal

A pre Halloween hay ride had the girls in full costume today.


10.0

Grace's pre-bar salute... a perfect 10.


7.4

In my eyes a 7.4 seems pretty close to a 10.0... Grace however, seems to disagree.  Her disappointment was short-lived thanks to an uncle, auntie and quadruple grandparent turnout.  Thanks for coming everyone!


born this way

Isabel moves to music in her head and rolls with a style all her own.


generations

A generation ago, a little girl from Motley, Minnesota played a flute in her grade school band.  Today, a little girl from Duluth, Minnesota plays that very flute, in her grade school band.


simple ~ beautiful

A recent post on the Strobist got me thinking about my little used and  long forgotten reflector.  It's simple, inexpensive, and in some situations, makes for some beautiful light.


mobile

Isabel waiting for her piano lesson in St. Scholastica's Tower Hall. Image taken and uploaded directly from my phone ~ amazing!


girl built

Built with big earrings, pony tails and a single pink block.


haunted mouse

Isabel's new piano piece arrives just in time... Happy Halloween


faces

Inspired by the "the Changing face of America", an article in the National Geographic.


trail crew

Brushed out the neighborhood trail this past weekend.  Afterwards, the whole crew made first tracks.


balance

Already 3 weeks into school, Grace works to balance homework,  4 hours of gymnastics twice a week, and band practice (flute)...  I don't worry about her falling, rather finding time.


tick tock

Despite the serenity here, the clock is ticking.  Reading calendars, tracking minutes and the worries of a 5th grade Type A have begun.  While Grace likes to read, she does so with a timer running ensuring she meets the 20 min requirement.

Worry over her success I will never... over her worries often.